Somewhere Far from the Rainbow
by Just-Met-A-Girl-Named-Maria
Summary: Dorothy Gale, now a lovely young woman of nineteen, has stopped believing in magic. All that she once believed in has been viciously torn away from her with the coming of war. But a new evil is coming and the Great and Powerful Oz is on his deathbed. He knows of only one who can save the people of Oz, as she has in the past. But will she go back, or will she push away her past?
1. Prologue

_Hello everyone! This is my first Wizard of Oz story. I love the Wizard of Oz so much, and this idea just popped into my head. This will be many chapters, and this is just the beginning. In this story, Dorothy will start out as fourteen, which seems about accurate according to how Judy Garland looks and acts in the movie, and that's how old I was when I got the role of Dorothy :) Enjoy and please leave reviews!_

* * *

Kansas, July 1937

Dorothy sat on the fence staring at the rainbow. Toto sat in her lap happily as she scratched his ears. They didn't believe her. She tried to explain that it wasn't only a dream, but they didn't listen. But that was alright. It would just have to be her little secret.

For a moment she too had believed it was a dream, until she pulled away the covers to reveal the ruby red slippers still on her feet. That was when she knew it had to be a secret. Oz was her secret world, and no one could take it away from her if they didn't know about it. She had taken off the shoes and hidden them in a wooden box, a secured it with a lock. She always wore the key on a string around her neck. She never took it off. Her journal stayed under her pillow, and she wrote in it whenever she had a memory of Oz, or something like that. Every night she relived the wonderful journey she had been on in her wonderful dream land. And then she would wake up to the wonderful place that she called home.

Every day she stared at the rainbow, hoping that she would be able to go back one day. It was true; she did love her home and all the people there very much. But there was something about that magical place that made her want to go back. And she was a hero there too. She killed two witches while she was there. She saved lots of people. She would love to go back to a place where there was magic, where she was a hero, and where she was loved by all. And then there were her friends, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion. She missed them terribly. She often wondered if they missed her, or if they even remembered her at all. She sat on the fence and thought about them as hard as she could, hoping that they would feel her thinking about them. It comforted her.

_Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high…_

_There's a land that I've been to once,_

_High up in the sky…_

_Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,_

_And the dreams that you dare to dream_

_Really do come true…_

_Someday I'll wake and rub my eyes…_

_And in the land beyond the skies,_

_You'll find me…_

A little bird flew past her and she hopped off the fence at ran after the bird, Toto following at her heels.

_There's magic, wonder, hope and beauty,_

_I can just leave all my cares there, far behind me…_

When the bird flew too high up and too far ahead of her she stopped and lay down in the grass, gazing once more at the rainbow.

_Somewhere over the rainbow, I can fly,_

_I've flown over the rainbow,_

_Why then…why can't I…?_

_If I have flown there way up high…beyond the rainbow…_

_Why oh why can't I?_

She sat up, scratching Toto's ears.

"Dorothy! Time for supper!" Auntie Em called her inside.

Dorothy snapped back to reality. "Coming Aunt Em!" she stood up and scooped up Toto in her arms, running back to the house. After supper she rushed to her bedroom and reached under her bed and pulled out the locked box. Removing the key from her neck, she unlocked the box. She reached in and pulled out her beautiful prize. Her two shining ruby red slippers. She placed them delicately on her feet and stood up, admiring how they looked on her. For a moment she pretended she was back on the yellow brick road, skipping along with her friends. Then it was getting dark, and she locked them back up and placed the box back beneath her bed.

Every night when Dorothy lay in bed, many things ran through her head, but only one thing was clear. She would always believe in magic.

Always.


	2. Chapter 1

Kansas, October 14th, 1939

Dorothy walked briskly on the dirt path to school, her pigtails bouncing on her back, and Toto right at her heels like usual. Her checkered gingham dress had been recycled into a skirt then fell just below the knee. Tucked into the skirt was a white blouse with a ribbon at the neck that was tied into a bow. Whether she liked it or not, she was getting older; she was almost sixteen. She had found less and less time to play pretend, but it didn't stop her from dreaming. Countless people in school, in town, at her house, had told her that magic wasn't real, that she needed to wake up out of her dreams, that she was too old for nonsense now. She never paid any mind to them. It had been a while since she had put on her ruby red shoes, since she had never found the time, and she also figured they didn't fit. But she knew they were there. She still wore the key around her neck.

She was walking along the path when suddenly a frighteningly large pig broke through a weak part in the fence and ran straight at her. Frozen with fear, she stood there staring at the beast running toward her with her mouth and eyes popped wide open.

"Hey look out!" a boy's voice shouted, snapping Dorothy back to her senses. She jumped to the side just in time, and she landed on the ground with a thud. Her books went flying about and she watched as the pig ran off into the tall grass, as Toto barked wildly after it.

"Hey, ya alright Miss?" the same voice asked. Dorothy whipped her head around to find the source of the voice. Walking toward her was a boy with hair darker than coal, and eyes that were a deep, sapphire blue. He wore a battered and stained white shirt with denim overalls thrown over it. His muscles showed right through his shirt.

"Uh…y-yes," she stuttered, her face turning bright pink. "I-I'm fine,"

"Ya sure?" the boy bent over and helped Dorothy back to her feet.

"Yes I'm fine," Dorothy brushed the dirt off her skirt and blouse. The boy was picking up Dorothy's books, and she bent down to help him.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said handing her the books he had picked up. "I've been meanin' to fix that fence…I guess I shoulda done it sooner, huh?"

"It isn't your fault," Dorothy said, wiping dirt off of one of her books. "You couldn't stop that pig from running away,"

"Yeah…but I shoulda been watchin' 'em closer," he sighed. "I was too busy watchin' the sky,"

"You stare at the sky?" Dorothy asked, full of wonder.

"Yeah…guess that's a little strange," he shrugged.

"No-no, it isn't strange at all," Dorothy said clutching tighter to her books. "I…I do too,"

"Ya do?" he said with a crooked grin. Dorothy couldn't help but smile. It was a very nice crooked grin.

"Yes…I like to watch the birds go by," she sighed. "I especially love it when there's a rainbow. It's almost like…like…"

"Like magic…?" he finished for her.

Dorothy's smile widened even more. She looked into his crystal clear eyes. "Why…yes. How'd you know that?"

"Cuz I feel the same way," he looked into her eyes, and Dorothy could feel electricity running through her whole body. "So…where ya from?"

"I live on the farm right next door," Dorothy said. "I've never seen you before though,"

"I just got hired here last week," he explained. "I used to live down in Texas, but I wanted somethin' new. Somethin' exciting,"

"So…you came here? To Kansas?" Dorothy laughed. "To find something new and exciting?"

"Gotta start somewhere," he said. "But one day, I'm gonna see the world,"

"Really?" Dorothy said. "That sounds wonderful,"

"Yeah," he said. "So…what's your name, and uh, who's that?" Josh chuckled at the little dog that was eying him so very carefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Dorothy blushed. "I'm Dorothy Gale, and that's Toto,"

"Well hello Toto," Josh bent over and scratched behind Toto's ears. "Pleased to meet ya Dorothy," he said standing up and extending his hand. "Joshua Stuart. Ya can call me Josh,"

"Nice to meet you," Dorothy shook his strong hand. In the process, one of her books fell out of her hands. She bent over to pick it up, then remembered what she was doing on the path in the first place. "Oh my! I'm going to be late for school!"

"Sorry to keep ya waitin', Dorothy," Josh apologized. "Maybe I'll see ya around?"

"I hope so," Dorothy smiled. "Thanks for saving me,"

"My pleasure," he said. "I'm off to find that darn pig,"

"Well good luck," Dorothy started to walk quickly down the path. "Goodbye Josh! And thanks again!" she called behind her, waving her arm as she walked down the path. Josh waved back as he disappeared into the tall grass to find his pig.

* * *

The next day Dorothy was walking down the path to school again.

"Hey Dorothy!" she heard a familiar voice. She turned around to find Josh running towards her.

"Hello, Josh," Dorothy smiled. "Finally fixing that fence?"

"Yeah, almost done too," he said proudly. "Ya off to school again?"

"Yes," Dorothy said. "Don't you go to school?"

"Well…I did when I was younger back in Texas…" he said sheepishly. "I really ain't too proud, but I hadda drop out cuz of stuff back at home,"

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Dorothy said genuinely. "When did you drop out?"

"I was about twelve," he said. "I'm seventeen now so…that's…five years I ain't been to school,"

"Wow," Dorothy said. "Can you read, and write?"

"A little…I ain't got much time or purpose for readin' or writin' so I never kept up with it…and I kinda just forgot,"

"Well I could teach you!" Dorothy said excitedly. "I have some books that are perfect for people who are just learning!"

"Really? Ya think ya could?" he smiled his crooked smile again.

"Of course!" Dorothy beamed. "If you want to travel someday you've got to be able to read,"

"Yeah you're right," Josh said.

Dorothy smiled dreamily at him. Then she remembered she was supposed to be walking to school. "I should be on my way to school…but I'll come by earlier tomorrow if you'd like so I could start teaching you,"

"Alright," Josh smiled. "See ya then,"

Dorothy nodded and smiled, and continued on her way to school, Toto right behind her as usual.

For the rest of the year, Dorothy left for school an hour earlier than needed, and she stopped by the broken fence at met up with Josh. They started off with simple books, but by the end of the school year, Josh could read a chapter of one of Dorothy's books in one sitting.

The two of them had become close friends in an instant. Sometimes, they talked for so long before they started to read, that by the time they were about to start Dorothy had to leave. At first, conversation was awkward like it was that first day they met, but as the days went by, they grew more and more comfortable with each other.

Dorothy had learned all sorts of things about Josh and where he came from. For one thing, she learned he had a big family back in Texas. He was the oldest of six children, and they were all girls. Dorothy almost laughed at the idea of Josh growing up in a house full of girls. The youngest, Annie, often became sick, and every day they worried about her health.

In return, Dorothy told Josh all sorts of things about herself. She told him that she lived with her aunt and uncle instead of with a mother and a father. She told him what had happened to her parents before she even knew them that had put her in this situation.

They both exchanged their opinions on things, and they both learned that the other had a wonderful imagination. Dorothy never thought she'd find someone like herself. Toto was even very taken to him. Dorothy found great pleasure in watching Josh play with her beloved dog.

On a chilly Febuary morning they were talking as they usually did.

"Ya ever been caught in a twister?" Josh asked. "Before I came here I heard there was a lot of those here,"

"Oh yes, I've gotten stuck in many twisters," Dorothy sighed. "But there was one that I'll never forget…"

"Really? Why's that?" Josh asked.

"Well I…" Dorothy didn't know exactly how to put her thoughts into words. "I…I was running away from home…" Dorothy stared at the ground guiltily. "…and a man…a professor of some kind…he read his crystal ball and told me I needed to go home right away. But then on my way home, a twister hit. I couldn't find anybody anywhere. I went in the house, and I got hit in the head and I dropped onto my bed. When I woke up I…I…"

"You what?" Josh pried.

"I…I wasn't in Kansas anymore," Dorothy said, knowing that she sounded absolutely crazy. "I was in a different place…someplace called Oz…oh I can't remember…" Dorothy shook her head, feeling utterly ridiculous. "But it must have been a dream…because when I woke up I was back in my bed…and twisters don't take houses to magical lands, do they?"

Josh looked at Dorothy, puzzled for a moment. And then he laughed. "That must have been some dream if ya still remember it,"

Dorothy laughed with him. "Yes, it was," she then sighed. "It was because it seemed so real, that's all. I can remember saying that I just wanted to go home…" and then she thought harder and smiled to herself, remembering the ruby red slippers that still sat under her bed. "There's no place like home," she whispered, playing with the key that was around her neck.

"What's that key for?" Josh said.

"Oh, nothing," Dorothy laughed, tucking the key back into her blouse. She thought to herself that she should check on her shoes when she got home from school. She knew they were there of course; she just wanted to see them again; to touch them and feel the magic.

"Oh my goodness!" Dorothy said suddenly. "It's gotten so late, and you haven't even read to me yet!"

"You'll just have to stop by after school then," Josh said with his crooked grin.

"Oh, of course I will," Dorothy beamed. "I'll see you then,"

The time passed, and they grew closer and closer, until it was Dorothy's last day of school.

The warm June air settled around Dorothy as she hurried along the path to where she always met Josh. As she expected, he was already there waiting.

"Hello," she said brightly sitting next to him. "It's my last day of school, you know,"

"Really?" he said. "Been that long already?"

"Uh-huh," she said.

"Wow," he sighed. "You're still gonna come visit right? I mean after all, who's gonna help me read?"

"Of course I will!" Dorothy laughed. "You do live right next door!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Josh said.

"Speaking of that, I've been telling my Aunt Em all about you, and she wants to have you over for supper," Dorothy said.

"Really? Wow," Josh said.

"Can you come tonight?" Dorothy said a bit too eagerly. "I mean, it's alright if you can't…"

"Pretty sure I can,"

"Really?" Dorothy said, again sounding a bit too excited. "That's great!"

"She a good cook?" Josh teased.

"Oh yes!" Dorothy sighed. "I love her cooking, and so will you,"

"Good," Josh said. "Cuz I wouldn't be goin' if she wasn't,"

They laughed together and Dorothy shoved him playfully. Their eyes met for a moment, but Dorothy panicked and averted her eyes.

"I guess I should go," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. "Wouldn't want to be late the last day,"

"Wait, before ya go," Josh said. "There's something I wanna do,"

Dorothy stayed where she was, trying to think of what he was going to do. And then all at once, his lips were on hers and her books dropped to the floor. Her eyes bugged out, but then she realized what was truly happening, and she intertwined her fingers with his. It was magic. A different kind of magic than anything Dorothy had ever encountered, but it was real, true, magic. After a few seconds, he pulled away from her lips.

"So…" he said.

"Yes?" Dorothy said breathlessly.

"You wanna go courtin' with me Dorothy?" he said, a handsome grin on his face.

Dorothy nodded, almost speechless. "Yes!" she finally managed to get out. "Yes!" they hugged each other and Josh briefly lifted her off the ground.

"Oh my! I've got to go!" Dorothy said. She quickly picked up all her books and Josh leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. Although it was brief, it still left her breathless.

"See ya tonight," he said.

"Yes…" Dorothy said, smiling wider than she ever had. She hurried down the path, knowing that she would be late, but not caring even a bit.


	3. Chapter 2

_Thank you Paradise Alley for your reivews!_

* * *

"Oh my!" Dorothy exclaimed. Dorothy watched the man swallow the sword, her eyes bugging out of her head in disgust. She squealed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" Josh laughed.

"It's horrid!" Dorothy said.

"Let's do somethin' else then," Josh took her dainty hand in his big strong one and dragged her along to the Ferris wheel. "You ain't afraid of heights are ya?"

"Of course not!" Dorothy remembered being stuck up in a cyclone, and being carried away by flying monkeys. Heights seemed like child's play to her.

"Well let's go!"

They sat together in the seat, and up they rose, high into the sky. Dorothy had never been to a fair, being that her family was too busy on the farm to take her, and she wasn't able to keep friends for too long. Josh had been with his sisters back in Texas, but since he'd moved to Kansas he'd always been too busy, but occasionally, his employer would very kindly let him stop working and spend time with Dorothy.

When they reached the highest point on the wheel, it stopped to let other people board. Dorothy's eyes widened with wonder. Sure, she'd been higher up than this, but both those times she couldn't see very clearly, or she was too afraid to look. But this time, she felt she was on top of the whole world. She looked over the edge at the tiny little houses and cars, and microscopic people. She looked up into the great big sky. Earlier that day, there had been a light drizzle, and now the way the sun was shining, it painted a beautiful stripe of colors in the sky.

"Oh look!" she sighed. "It's a rainbow,"

"Wow," Josh breathed. "It's even prettier up close,"

"Josh?" Dorothy asked.

"Hm?"

"Have you ever wondered…what's on the other side of the rainbow?" Josh's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Oh I know where rainbows come from, scientifically that is. But doesn't it sound wonderful to think it comes from somewhere else? And that maybe…just maybe, there's something beautiful on the other side?"

Josh was now smiling brighter than the rainbow. His blue eyes were lively sparkling. "Ya know Dorothy, sometimes I think you're inside my head,"

"Really?" Dorothy laughed out loud, and Josh joined her. "That's wonderful!" She laughed again. "Nobody ever believes me when I try to explain…"

"Explain what?" Josh said puzzled.

Dorothy thought very hard before answering, but before she could, the Ferris wheel began turning again, and she looked up at the sky one last time before they began descending to the ground again.

When they got off the ride, Josh bought them cotton candy, and they walked around and searched for more things to do. Dorothy's eye caught a tent that read something about magic tricks and the crowned heads of Europe. Dorothy dragged Josh inside, and they sat in the dim lighting and watched the show. Dorothy knew it was humbug magic, but it was still fun. The show was run by an old man that Dorothy couldn't get a good look at.

As Dorothy walked out of the tent, smiling and laughing holding Josh's hand, the old man smiled widely, his eyes twinkling with content, unseen by Dorothy.

That night, Josh walked Dorothy home, and they sat on the fence and watched the sunset. She rested her head on his broad shoulder, and he wrapped his strong arm around her small frame. Dorothy had never imagined herself in the arms of someone other than her aunt and uncle, especially someone as wonderful as Josh. No one else had ever bothered to listen to, let alone understand the way her mind worked. The whole world was pushing her to grow up, and she had never wanted to, and she finally found a person who wanted her to stay just the way she was.

When the sun had gone down, Josh walked her right up to the front door and kissed her lightly before knocking on the door.

"Josh!" Aunt Em exclaimed. "Come in, come in!"

"Hello Mrs. Gale," Josh smiled.

"Please, just call me Aunt Em," she smiled. "Would you like some tea Josh?"

"Yes ma'am," he laughed. Josh then greeted Uncle Henry and the three farmhands. Aunt Em served tea to everyone, and they all made wonderful conversation. Dorothy was delighted. Josh fit right in, and she knew he would since the very first time he came over for supper.

Aunt Em and Uncle Henry simply adored Josh. He was a polite young man, and he always treated them with the utmost respect. They, along with Zeke, Hunk, and Hickory, always saw to it that there precious jewel was treated as such, and she always was.

The rest of the summer went by as such, and then in mid-august, Josh's employer let him have two weeks off. Josh was going back to Texas to visit his family like he had for Christmas. This time, he wanted to take Dorothy with him. Aunt Em said although she would miss Dorothy, it was fine with her.

And so they both packed their things and got on a train together. Dorothy had always been uneasy on trains because of what happened to her parents, but Josh held her close and made sure that she was always comfortable and never afraid at any time.

Josh was greeted at the train station by his entire family with tight embraces and kisses on the cheek and on the head.

"Ma, this is Dorothy," Josh said to his mother, a stout but kind looking woman.

"Oh here she is!" Josh's mother exclaimed. "I've heard so much of you from Josh's letters- I thought he was exaggeratin'! He went on and on about how pretty you were, and he wasn't lyin'!" She then pulled Dorothy into a warm embrace, and Dorothy couldn't help but laugh.

They reached the house, a cozy little thing. They ate a delicious meal, and they all sat by the fireplace and talked for hours. Josh's oldest sister, Charlotte, was only a few months younger than Dorothy. The next oldest, Caroline, was fourteen, and she was almost an exact copy of her sister. The three of them and Josh's mother kept a spirited conversation going all night. The three youngest, Molly, Samantha, and Annie were twelve, nine and six. They occasionally chimed in on their conversation, but mostly played amongst themselves or with Josh or their father, or even Toto. Dorothy had brought him along, and he delighted the young ones.

Dorothy was now not only in love with Josh, but with his family. "Josh, your family is absolutely lovely," Dorothy had said at the end of the night.

"Ain't they the greatest?" Josh beamed. "Like ya always say, there's no place like home,"

The days passed, and by the time Dorothy and Josh returned to Kansas, it was already time for Dorothy to return to school. They kept up their usual routine of Dorothy stopping by every morning to read and talk with Josh, then he would peck her on the lips, and she'd be off to school in a love struck daze.

The months went on and on, and Dorothy had received small gifts from every member of Josh's family for Christmas and for her seventeenth birthday. Then that next summer, they spent their late afternoons and nights together as they did the previous summer, and in late July, they made a promise to each other.

"I…I got ya something," Josh said one day as they sat on the fence watching the sunset.

"Oh what for?" Dorothy said guiltily. "My birthday was months ago and you already gave me something,"

"Just listen," Josh said pulling something tiny out of his pocket. "This is for you. It's a promise ring,"

"A ring?" Dorothy gasped. "No, Josh, I cant – "

"It's a promise to me that you'll always be mine," Josh ignored her. "And a promise to you that I'll always be yours,"

"No, it's too much…I cant take it…"

"Yes ya can," Josh said. "Cuz you're not goin' anywhere till ya put it on,"

Dorothy sighed and reluctantly put it on. "Oh it's…it's beautiful…"

"It ain't more beautiful then you," Josh said, kissing her quickly. "So is that a promise?"

"Of course it is," Dorothy kissed him, and this time it was longer, more meaningful. "I love you,"

"I love you too,"

In August she visited Josh's family again with him, and every day, her happiness grew and grew until she was practically glowing with joy. There was nothing on this earth that could destroy that joy. As long as she had Josh, which she always would, there was nothing holding her back.

And that was all quite true, until December 7, 1941.


	4. Chapter 3

_Sorry that took so long. For the past two weekends I had my own Wizard of Oz perfomances. But here it is! Thank you so much to all reviewers, and keep them coming! Enjoy!_

* * *

Dorothy was on her way to school as she usually was. She no longer has pigtails bouncing on her back, but instead long curls that flowed freely, the short pieces in the front pinned back with a ribbon in the back of her head. She was wearing the usual checkered skirt and blouse with the bow at the neck, except it was all hidden behind her coat and scarf, for it was a cold December morning.

She found Josh sitting in his usual spot on the fence, and she kissed him good morning and sat next to him. Everything was so normal, as it always was. They talked, Josh read, which he was now excellent at, and Dorothy continued on her way to school. Dorothy was almost through with school now; this was her final year. After all, she'd be eighteen soon. After school was over, she and Josh were going to travel the world, and see all the magic they wanted.

Dorothy's hand suddenly wandered to the key around her neck. She fiddled with it briefly, and her fingertips nearly felt…warm almost. Her heart even felt a little lighter. There were pleasant memories…more like just memories of feelings…she tried her hardest to remember what those memories were…

"Do you remember Toto?" Dorothy looked down at him. "Oh you must," she picked him up and kissed his head. She remembered the shoes under her bed, and smiled to herself. "Do you think they're really still there? Oh they must be! Why else would I be wearing the key around my neck still, after all these years? I couldn't have simply made up the memories...yes…that magical place was real, whether I remember the name or not. Wouldn't it be lovely if I could take Josh there someday?"

She entered town in a happy, magical daze, but everyone else didn't seem happy at all. She stopped fiddling with the key at once and took a good look around her. Everyone was in a frenzy, in some sort of panic. She looked around skeptically and entered the schoolhouse. Everyone was chattering in the same panicked tone as everyone outside. She removed her coat and scarf and listened carefully. Her ears caught whisperings of "Japan" and "bombs" and a harbor. What on earth was going on?

"Alright! Everyone sit down and be quiet!" the teacher commanded. And unlike every other day, silence instantly fell upon the whole room and everyone sat down. "As you have all probably heard by now, this morning the Japanese bombed our own Pearl Harbor in Hawaii," some, including Dorothy gasped in shock, but most of them shook their heads sadly. Dorothy supposed they had already found out. "Now this – "

"Those damn Japs!" one of the boys Dorothy's age spat.

"Caleb we are to – " the teacher tried to continue.

"Those devils ought to pay for what they done!" another boy said.

"Yeah!" the whole class answered.

"Class listen!"

"Violatin' us like that!" Caleb went on. "What if we dropped bombs on their innocent people?"

"That is enough!" the teacher boomed. "It is not our decision what is to become of us, or the Japanese. Now as I was saying…"

The school day dragged on, and tensions were high all around. Who was to say that they weren't next? Now that there was a threat out there, they could go attacking anywhere in the country they wanted couldn't they? And who was to say who was really on our side? Everyone was interrogated about what they believed, and if anyone slightly disagreed with someone else, they were called a traitor. And that was only in one day. What was this country going to come to next?

Dorothy walked home that day afraid that someone would jump out of the shadows and accuse her of treason and tie her up and ship her away. She walked as fast as she could, and when she heard a noise, she started at a full out run. Suddenly she tripped over something furry, and it began furiously barking at her. "Oh Toto darling! I'm so sorry!" she wrapped the small dog in her arms. He was waiting for her in the spot he always waited in and she didn't even see him.

"What's wrong?" Josh came running to her. "Are you ok? What were ya runnin' from?"

"I…oh…" Dorothy breathed heavily. "I thought someone was going to…I just don't feel safe…"

"It's ok, no one's gonna hurt ya," Josh said helping her up. "It happened all the way in Hawaii,"

"All day in school, the kids were beating each other and accusing them of such horrible things…" Dorothy shook her head. "Everyone's gone mad,"

"It's gonna be fine," Josh soothed. "All we gotta do is get 'em right back – "

"What?" Dorothy looked up at him.

"Well they gotta pay for what they done don't they? They can't just attack us like that," Josh explained. "All we gotta do is – "

"All we have to do? It isn't that simple!" Dorothy argued. "If we declare war terrible things are just going to keep happening, and then when is it going to stop?"

"Well if we don't, who's to say they won't come back and do it again? If it's gonna happen anyway, I'd rather not sit back and watch!"

"You mean you want to go and fight?" Dorothy's eyes clouded over with fright.

"No! No, of course not," Josh said, wrapping his arms around her. "I wouldn't leave ya unless they drag me away. All I'm sayin' is the violence ain't gonna stop no matter what, so we might as well stand up for ourselves. Don't ya agree?"

"Oh I don't know…" Dorothy threw her hands up in frustration. "Everything is just so complicated and difficult,"

"Well it don't have to be," Josh said. "Listen, if it upsets you to talk about this, we won't, ok?"

"Alright," Dorothy said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "As long as you're here with me, I'm not worried at all,"

Dorothy went home for supper, and as soon as she opened the door, the voice of all three farmhands and Uncle Henry filled her ears.

"Hello Dorothy," Aunt Em said, and the four of them fell silent. "Come sit, and I'll make you some tea,"

"Hey Dorothy," Hunk ruffled her hair. "Keep your chin up, huh?"

Dorothy smiled and took her cup of tea from Aunt Em. Supper was uncomfortably quiet, and the second Dorothy went into her bedroom and shut the door, there was an eruption of noise from the four men.

"Keep it down!" Aunt Em scolded. "Dorothy's trying to sleep," and then, in a more hushed voice: "We don't wanna upset her. She's very sensitive to things like this,"

As Dorothy was washing her face and putting on her nightgown she could faintly hear angry whispering. Occasionally someone would get too loud, only to be hushed by the others. Dorothy crawled into bed, still able to hear the whispering and hushing. She gathered Toto in her arms and tried to sleep, but she only fell asleep hours after everything fell completely silent.

The next day was the same at school, and when Dorothy got home she walked in on the four men talking heatedly again. The United States had declared war on Japan. And then three days later, Italy and Germany declared war on The United States, and they declared war right back that very same day. The whole country was living in fear, and the drafting would start soon.

As Christmas got closer, more and more boys Dorothy's age were disappearing from school. Seeing this scared her out of her mind. But she pushed all that far out of her mind and put all her focus and attention to Josh.

Christmas came and went, and Josh returned home from Texas sooner than usual. On her way home from school, she saw him sitting on the fence petting Toto.

"Hey Dorothy," Josh said, forcing a smile.

"Josh!" Dorothy exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I've missed you!"

"Listen Dorothy there's somethin' I gotta tell ya…"

"Oh I have something to tell you too!" Dorothy said. "Auntie Em said that – "

"Dorothy listen – "

"Oh but Josh she said – "

"Dorothy listen to me," Josh said quietly yet firmly, and it startled her.

"What's wrong?" Dorothy said, stepping closer to him and taking his hand. "Your family is alright aren't they? It isn't little Annie is it?"

"No, my family is fine," Josh sighed sadly.

"Thank goodness," Dorothy sighed with relief. "Well then what's wrong?"

"Dorothy I…" Josh took her other hand in his and looked her right in the eye, which were no longer sparkling blue, but a clouded grey. "I got drafted…to the army,"

"You…you what?" Dorothy's voice cracked at the end of the sentence.

"I got drafted Dorothy," he said painfully.

"Oh…oh no…" she shook her head in disbelief and her hands trembled in his. A small sob escaped her lips. "No…"

Josh gently wrapped her arms around her neck and held her close, and she slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his strong chest.

"I'm so sorry…I wouldn't go if I didn't have to…but it's the law…" Josh said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"No, no, no…" Dorothy sobbed over and over.

They stayed locked together like that for longer than they cared to remember. Josh looked up and saw that they sky had turned different colors again.

"Look," he said shifting Dorothy in his arms so that she could look up at the sky. He kept his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm in the quickly chilling air, and resting his chin gently on the top of her head. "It's our sunset,"

"Our sunset?" Dorothy said.

"Yeah, ours," Josh said. "It's like a rainbow, only it's the whole sky instead. See?" he looked down at her and saw that she was smiling. "All the rainbows are ours ain't they? So that means the sunset is ours too right?" He felt her nod, her head still resting on his chest. "It's all made up of the same magic, right?"

"Y-yes," she sniffled. "I s-suppose you're right,"

"So now when I'm…when I'm away," he felt her shake again and tightened his embrace. "When I'm away, just look at the sky. If ya see a rainbow, or a pretty sunset just like this one, that's me, painting the sky for ya, and tryin' to make it as pretty as you," Another sob escaped her lips and he turned her around to face him. "Hey, it's gonna be ok. I'm always gonna be right with you, even if ya don't see me," He cupped her face in his hands and wiped away her silent tears with his thumbs. "And then, once this war is all over, I'll come right back home to find ya, and we'll see the world, just like we always said we would," he then gently kissed her lips. "How's that sound?" he whispered.

"That sounds…wonderful," she breathed, and she kissed him again. "I love you," she mumbled, choking back more tears.

"I love you too," he pulled her into another tight embrace. After a long time, Dorothy spoke again, still in his arms.

"When do you leave?" Dorothy asked.

"About two weeks," Josh said. "But before that I gotta go back to Texas to say goodbye- for now,"

"Then I'll go with you," Dorothy said. "I'll go with you until they drag me away,"

"Good," Josh said. He didn't want to say it, but he wasn't strong enough to do this all without her. He finally released her. "You should go; Aunt Em's probably worried sick about ya,"

Dorothy chuckled softly. "She'll think that I've gotten pneumonia by now,"

Josh laughed, and then kissed her lips tenderly, and she gratefully returned the kiss. "I'll be by tomorrow,"

"Alright," Dorothy said, and Josh turned and walked away. "Goodnight!" she called after him as he walked down the path away from her house. As soon as she was out of sight she tore away from the spot she had been rooted to and bolted toward the house. She threw herself in the doorway, tears threatening to spill over again.

"Dorothy!" Aunt Em exclaimed standing up. "We've been worried sick – " she took another look at her. "Dorothy what happened?"

"Oh Aunt Em!" Dorothy burst into hysteria, and Aunt Em rushed to put her arms around her.

"Come on, let's go into your room and we'll talk," Aunt Em led Dorothy into her bedroom.

Dorothy felt as if the whole world was pressing down on her and suffocating her. It was all too much. This time, she felt as if she'd never stop crying.

Aunt Em sat Dorothy down on her bed and sat down beside her. "Now, tell me what happened,"

"J-Josh got…" Dorothy could hardly breathe, let alone speak. "He got drafted! Into the army! He's leaving me Aunt Em!"

"Oh Dorothy, sweetheart!" Aunt Em once again wrapped her loving arms around Dorothy and let her cry all her tears. As soon as the United States declared war on Japan, she knew that it had to come eventually, but that didn't make it any less horrible to see her beloved niece so distraught.

Neither of them were keeping track of time, but it seemed as though several hours had passed before Dorothy finally calmed down. Her hysterics had ceased, she was now just a shaking lump, with a hiccup here or there.

"Cried all your tears?" Aunt Em soothed, gently stroking Dorothy's dark hair. Dorothy nodded. "Why don't you put your nightgown on and wash up, and I'll make us some tea?"

Dorothy nodded again and Aunt Em left to make the tea. Dorothy followed her usual night time routine, and although she was functioning like a normal human, it was as if her brain had stopped. She robotically splashed water on her face over and over, and when she returned to her bedroom, Aunt Em was sitting on her bed with two steaming cups of tea.

Dorothy gratefully took the cup and took a sip. She feared that she wouldn't be able to keep anything down, but instead of making her sick, it relaxed her. By the time the cup was empty, she was half asleep. Aunt Em gently lay her down and tucked her in, just like she was a little girl again. Toto jumped into bed with Dorothy, whimpering, knowing that Dorothy was upset. Aunt Em kissed Dorothy's forehead, and Dorothy drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

_Here's the next chapter! Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it!_

* * *

So Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Hunk, Hickory, and Zeke said goodbye to Josh, and then he and Dorothy were off to Texas so he could say goodbye to his family. When they arrived, it was a far different type of greeting than the first time. There were tears in everyone's eyes, even the littlest ones. They all rushed right to him and hugged him for several minutes. The two weeks that followed, Josh played with every single one of his sisters every day until they became exhausted, and he stayed up as late as possible to talk to his parents, his two oldest sisters, and Dorothy. Every one of them tried to forget that Josh would soon be sent away, and they all had the time of their lives.

But those two weeks flew by, and soon, it was time to bring him back to the train station. The whole station was full of families saying goodbye to their sons, brothers, and lovers. It was a tearful goodbye, and Dorothy could hardly stand it. Charlotte walked up to her brother and squeezed him as tight as she could. Finally she let go and Josh kissed her head and wiped away her silent tears. Caroline did the same, as did Molly.

"Promise you'll write?" Molly sniffled.

"I promise," Josh said, and he kissed her head.

Samantha ran and jumped into Josh's arms, allowing him to lift her off the ground and swing her around. "Write to me too!" she said through her tears.

"I will, I promise," he kissed her head and put her down, and then lifted up Annie.

"Write to me too Joshy," Annie said, squeezing his neck.

"I will, my little princess," Josh kissed her tiny head.

Next, Josh's mother embraced her son. "You're wonderful," she sobbed. "My handsome boy…"

"It's ok ma, I'll see ya soon," Josh comforted his distraught mother.

When Josh's mother released him and kissed his head, his father came and embraced him. "I'm proud of ya son," he said.

Suddenly they heard a whistle, and they looked up and saw the train coming. Josh ran over to Dorothy and she threw herself onto him, a sob escaping her lips.

"Hey, hey…" Josh said, wiping away her tears. "It's gonna be ok, I promise,"

"I know…I know…" Dorothy calmed herself. The train would soon be stopping. "I'm just going to miss you so much…"

"I'll be home faster than ya think," he said. "And then, I promise we'll be together forever, ok?" Dorothy nodded and pressed her lips against his.

"I won't ever take it off," Dorothy said, showing him the ring. "I won't ever forget you, no matter what happens. Even though I know you're coming home…You've just got to…"

"It's ok…" he pulled her into him and let her cry a little again. "Don't forget to look at the sky Dorothy. Don't you ever stop lookin' at that sky,"

"I won't," she sobbed. "I p-promise,"

"All aboard!"

The both whirled around to see the train already in the station, and new soldiers already boarding. They pressed their lips together again, longer this time. "I love you," Josh said.

"I love you too," Dorothy kissed him again, desperate for every last second with him. Josh hugged his family again, and then the man called again:

"All aboard!"

It was getting closer and closer. The last second that Dorothy had with him was almost here. She ran and kissed him again, and he wrapped his big strong arms around her.

"All aboard!"

Nearly everyone that needed to be was aboard now. They kissed one last time, and he hugged his family one last time, and just like that, he was on the train. Every man on the train was pressed against a window, waving goodbye to his loved ones. Dorothy searched frantically for Josh, until she saw him appear in a window. Dorothy pointed him out to the family, and soon they were all frantically waving at him. Someone on the train figured out how to open a window, and soon everyone's window was open, and hands were sticking out and blowing kisses.

Before they knew it, the train was rolling away. There were indistinct shouts of "I love you!" coming from all around. She read Josh's lips, as she couldn't hear him, and she shouted as loud as she could the same three words. She followed the train until there was a wall of people that prevented her from moving. She looked up and saw for the last time those sparkling, kind blue eyes, and his strong, loving hand waving at her.

"I…I love you…" Dorothy said to herself, knowing that he couldn't hear her now.

She spent that night at his family's house, and then she was off to Kansas, by herself. She had never been on the train alone, and they gave her such terrible anxiety. When she arrived in Kansas she nearly jumped off the train. When she got home, Aunt Em gave her a tight hug and fed her a good meal. Dorothy thought to just sit in her room and cry, but what good would that do? Josh was coming home to her eventually, and she wasn't about to cry about him being gone. She would just wait until he came home.

She wrote to him every day, but didn't send a letter every day. She didn't want to overwhelm him, or seem too attached. She took the most important bits from each letter and sent one every week. His replies took days, sometimes weeks, but every time she got a letter from him, her heart nearly grew wings.

At first his letters were heartfelt and quite lovely, but as time went on, they got shorter and harsher. Time between replies grew and grew, until she feared he would never answer her. But he was doing something very important for the country; he probably didn't have much time to reply to his sweetheart. But that was alright. She would wait, as she always did.

It was late April, and she was still waiting for a reply from a letter she had sent at the end of February. She was sitting outside, scratching Toto's ears and staring at the sky, when Aunt Em called her inside.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news sweetheart," Aunt Em said. Dorothy's heart started pounding. She would have seen a man with a telegram right? "Zeke, Hunk and Hickory have been drafted,"

"Oh…" Dorothy said sadly. She knew it had to happen eventually, but that didn't stop her heart from hurting when it did. "All at once?"

"I'm afraid so," Aunt Em sighed sadly.

"Oh no…" Dorothy didn't know what to do with herself. "Everyone's leaving me Aunt Em…"

"Aw honey…" Aunt Em wrapped her arms around her niece. "Me and Uncle Henry are always gonna be here, and so is Toto,"

"I suppose you're right…" Dorothy sniffled. "And Josh is going to come home to me soon, I know it."

Aunt Em opened her mouth to say something, but shut it right back up again. The last thing Dorothy needed was for someone to crush her happy spirit that shone through.

The following week, everyone was gathered at the train station to bid goodbye to the three farmhands. It was another painful goodbye. Dorothy first ran up and embraced Hickory.

"Goodbye Hickory."

"Don't cry, Dorothy," he said wiping her eyes. "I'll see ya again."

"Yes…" Dorothy mumbled, and she kissed his cheek.

"Don't ever lose sight of what's important," Hickory added. "Always follow your heart,"

Dorothy looked very long and hard at Hickory before nodding and kissing his cheek again. She next embraced Zeke. "Goodbye Zeke."

"Goodbye Dorothy," he said. "Don't forget to stay strong and be brave, huh?"

"Don't worry," Dorothy chuckled. "You've got enough courage for the both of us." She kissed his cheek. "Courage…" Zeke nodded and Dorothy moved on to Hunk.

"Goodbye Hunk," Dorothy said, and the tears began to flow again.

"Goodbye Dorothy," he squeezed her tightly. "Now you keep a good head on your shoulders."

"I will," Dorothy promised. She kissed his cheek. Aunt Em wrapped her arms around Dorothy and they and Uncle Henry watched sadly as the three of them boarded the train. They waved frantically as the train rolled out of sight.

That night, dinner was oddly quiet. The three empty chairs at the table deeply saddened Dorothy.

"What'll we do without 'em?" Uncle Henry sighed. "There's no one else left to hire."

"We'll just have to work harder, won't we?" Aunt Em said.

"I'll do whatever you need me to, Uncle Henry," Dorothy said.

"Thanks Dorothy," Uncle Henry said. "I just hope it's enough,"

"Well we can't just sell it!" Aunt Em said.

"Sell the farm?" Dorothy gasped. "Oh, Uncle Henry you mustn't! It's our home!" I'll take off from school to – "

"Now, now," Uncle Henry said. "Calm down. This farm ain't going nowhere. All I'm saying is that…well…I hope we can do enough for that to be true."

The days went on and on. Every weekend, Dorothy spent every waking moment pulling weeds from the corn fields and feeding animals. It saddened her aunt and uncle to see her working so hard, but she insisted that she do all that she could to keep the farm going.

It was late June and school was finally finished. Dorothy was now waiting on a reply to a letter from Josh, and one from Zeke, Hunk, and Hickory. The letters to them had been sent in the beginning of May, but Dorothy didn't expect a speedy reply.

Dorothy spent her days feeding animals, collecting chicken eggs, and pulling whatever weeds she could find, and then she would run around in the open plains with Toto just like she used to before Josh came into the picture. She sat in the tall grass scratching behind Toto's ears.

"Oh, how I've missed this," Dorothy laughed. "I promise, even when Josh gets back, we'll do this again, alright?" Toto barked happily in reply. Dorothy laughed and kissed the dog's head. Dorothy looked up and the sky. It was unusually blue today. She smiled to herself, thinking of Josh. She made a note to include that in the next letter she sent him.

"Dorothy!" Aunt Em's voice sounded faintly behind her. Dorothy got up and ran in the direction of her voice, Toto following at her heels. When she reached the house, Aunt Em was holding an envelope in her hand.

"Oh! Is it from him?"

"Uh-huh," Aunt Em smiled.

Dorothy tore open the envelope and sat down on the porch steps to read it.

_Dear Dorothy,_

_Glad to hear everything is alright. I wish I could be there with you. I love you._

_Affectionately,_

_Josh_

Dorothy sighed. This letter said exactly what the last one had. But even still, it was from him, and he was alive and well. Dorothy went inside and into her bedroom and placed the letter in the box she kept the others, and instantly got to work on the one she would send back.

The summer dragged on, and Dorothy sat in the grass, waiting as she always did for a reply from Josh. The cyclones came and went, but the worse damage that occurred were the barn doors being ripped off. The corn was growing, and Dorothy continued to pull the weeds out.

One day, Dorothy was playing with Toto in the grass as she always did, and she glanced up at the sky. "Oh, Toto look! A rainbow!" she stood up and looked closer at it. "That's funny…it wasn't raining before…" Toto began barking at the sky. "Where did it come from?" A smile crept across her face as her thoughts wandered to Josh. _Don't you ever stop looking at the sky._

And she had promised him that she would always look at the sky. And she had promised herself that she would always believe in magic. And she had promised three people that she would never forget them…or was that a dream?

"Oh Toto…" Dorothy sighed and sat down next to her beloved dog. "These days it's just so hard to tell what's real and what's a dream…I just wish I could remember…" She lied down in the grass and stretched her arms out. "But it doesn't matter anyway. Things will turn up, like Auntie Em said. And when Josh gets back, it'll be the beginning of the rest of our lives."

Toto barked at the sky once more. "Rainbows really are beautiful aren't they?" Dorothy closed her eyes. "And so is the place over the rainbow."


	6. Chapter 5

_Yay! Update at a special day and time becuase school was cancelled while I was standing in the snow waiting for my bus! Enjoy!_

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It was early September, and Dorothy was scrubbing dishes and handing them to Aunt Em to dry when there came a knock at the door. Aunt Em walked over to the door, the towel and plate still in her hand. Dorothy didn't notice the exchange at the door, for she was busy scrubbing dishes. She heard the door shut, and then all of a sudden there was a loud crash. Dorothy looked up and saw that the plate Aunt Em was holding had shattered on the ground, and she had turned a frightening shade of white.

"Auntie Em!" Dorothy rushed to her side. "What's wrong? You aren't sick are you?"

"Dorothy…"

"Oh…oh you're shaking!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Sit down. Do you need help? Oh…I'll get Uncle Henry!"

"No…Dorothy…"

Dorothy stopped and whirled around. "What is it Aunt Em?"

"Come here honey…" Dorothy obeyed. "Now listen to me…"

"Oh no…" Dorothy now saw that Aunt Em was clutching a piece of paper and an envelope in her hands. "What happened…?"

"Dorothy please listen to me…"

"Please just give me the paper!" Dorothy cried, her hands shaking.

"Dorothy – "

Before Aunt Em could finish, Dorothy had snatched the paper out of her hand. A sob escaped Aunt Em's lips. Dorothy's frantic eyes scanned the paper, and her heart stopped.

"No…"

"Dorothy…" Aunt Em sobbed.

"No…" Her hands tightened their grip on the paper until the edges were crumpled and torn and her knuckles were white. "No…no, no, NO!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Dorothy and she collapsed on her knees in a heap of hysterical tears. Aunt Em quickly knelt down beside her and squeezed her arms around her distraught niece. She rocked the screaming girl back and forth while silent tears streamed down her face. Uncle Henry came bursting through the door upon hearing the scream. He saw the scene before him and sadly wiped his brow. He picked up the paper that Dorothy had dropped and read it:

_Dear Dorothy,_

_We've just gotten the telegram to tell us the most horrible news I've ever had to hear. Josh has been killed. If you want, you can come down for the service. I'm so sorry._

_-The Stuart Family_

* * *

Dorothy was lying on her bed simply staring at the ceiling. She had just returned from Texas the previous day, and she hadn't said a single word since she had arrived back home. On her night table was a pile of all of Josh's letters that he had sent her, including the most recent one, the very last one. Dorothy clung to that piece of paper, the last shred of Josh's being. She rubbed it against her cheek.

"Someday I'll wish upon a star…" She squeezed her eyes shut, and beautiful memories came flowing back. She tried to imagine him there stroking her cheek. "…and wake up where the clouds are far behind me…" Tears rolled down her cheeks and she took a deep, shaky breath. "Where troubles…melt like lemon drops…away above the chimney tops…" She felt as if she could hardly breathe. "That's where you'll find…me…" A sob escaped her lips and the tears fell harder. "Somewhere over the rainbow…bluebirds…fly…" Suddenly, a strange horrid sensation burned in the pit of her stomach. Rage. Absolute, horrible anger.

"No!" she screamed furiously. She crumpled the paper and threw it across the room with all of her strength. She tore the promise ring off her finger and sent it flying across the room as well. It slammed into the wall and rolled about the floor. She seized the pile of Josh's letters that she had been reading and ripped to shreds each and every one of them, and threw the pieces about the room, screaming and crying in absolute hysterics as she did so.

"NO!" she cried. "There's no rainbow! There's no sunset! There's no love! _There's no magic!"_ she shrieked. She tore up the last bit of paper she could get her hands on and collapsed on her bed.

When next Dorothy opened her eyes, the sun was shining through her window. She groggily opened her still puffy eyes and sat up. She looked around at the mess she had made. Her eyes fell on one paper that wasn't ripped. She slowly crossed the room to the crumpled paper and unfolded it, tears welling up in her eyes. _No._ There would be no more tears. Tears were for the weak. She was not weak. Love had made her weak, and naïve, and stupid. She ripped the letter and discarded it onto the floor with the others.

She slowly opened her bedroom door, and saw that there was no one there. She picked up each and every bit of paper that was lying on the floor and walked into the next room and scattered them into the fireplace. She then seized the picture of her and Josh and took it out of the frame. She sat in front of the fireplace watching the letters burn in the fiery embers, the picture shaking in her hands. She took one final look at the photo before she tore it right down the middle and tossed it into the fire. That time was over. The world she once knew was gone. There would be no more foolish thinking and childish thoughts.

That part of her life was over and done with, gone forever, left to burn in the fires of despair.

Suddenly she remembered the key she wore around her neck, and her hand slowly went to it. She enclosed her fingers around it and angrily ripped it off her neck. She opened the nearest window and threw it as hard as she could. She then traveled back to her seat by the fireplace.

"There's no magic," she mumbled as she stared into the flames. "What a ridiculous thing…magic."

And in that moment, only one thing was clear. She would never again allow herself to believe in such absurd things as love, and especially magic.

Never.

* * *

_Sorry if that was really depressing... :(_


	7. Chapter 6

New York City, December 1943

Dorothy sat at her desk and rubbed her temples. There was still so much work to do, and so little time to do it. Papers to sign, papers to file, papers to send, papers, papers, and more papers. It seemed as if her whole life had become papers. Every day, the worth of her life was measured by how many papers she got through.

Today's papers were quite excessive. There was only an hour to go until her train left, and she still had a pile of papers to go through that was two inches high. She was supposed to get on the train back to Kansas, and then she would get a break from work for the holidays. But knowing her, she would get countless letters over the week asking her to do this and that, all for extra money of course. And of course she would seize the opportunity, anything to put more money in her pocket. She barely had enough to feed herself these days.

But right now it didn't even seem like she would make her train. The amount of work she had to do would take at least two hours, if she worked fast. It was a good thing she had already packed and taken her light suitcase with her. She had looked through all her clothes, trying to find something festive and cheerful to wear while she was on the farm she'd grown up on, but most of her clothes were business like and formal. She'd taken the most festive and cheerful things she could find, dumped them in a small suitcase and hurried back to work.

Back in Kansas she needed a change. She had heard about big cities on the east coast that needed people to take jobs, especially women. She had packed her things and moved to New York City and gotten a job there. She worked and lived hundreds of feet off the ground in buildings she'd never even dreamed of. It all would have been quite exciting, had she not been so worn out all the time.

And now here she was, once again trying to beat the clock that constantly ticked in her ears, constantly reminding her that time was going by. Every minute, every second that she worked relentlessly, she was getting older. What was she living for? Right now it was work. It used to be Josh, but then the war happened, and she got the letter that nobody ever wanted to get, and that was the end of that.

That was when she stopped believing in magic. In that moment when she read those words telling her that Josh wasn't coming home, that was when everything inside her died. All the magic she once believed in, all the imagination she once possessed, were gone in that instant. There were times where she remembered Oz, but that was only a dream. All the things she did as a child, that was all pretend. They were nothing but childish games. The magic that she used to see in the rainbow was a silly thing. She saw it when she was blinded by love. Well love holds people back in a rapidly changing world. There was no time for that now. She had to support herself. She couldn't get wrapped up in some boy when she had bills to pay and papers to file. Papers…

Dorothy glanced at the clock. Her train had left five minutes ago. She sighed sadly and continued to go through the papers. She might as well just wait until the eight o'clock train instead. After all, it was only an hour of a difference. Of course she had wasted money on the seven o'clock ticket and would have to buy another, but what can you do?

At seven forty-five she had finished everything that needed to be done, and she grabbed her things and hurried out of there before the boss could give her something else to do. She would be getting to Kansas a little later than expected, but at least she would get there. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve after all.

She had gotten her Aunt Em some lovely fabric that you could only find in New York, and she got her Uncle Henry a nice new hat. She would have put more thought into their gifts had she not been so busy at work. The previous week she had sent holiday cards with candy canes over to Hunk, Zeke and Hickory. It was a wonder to her that they were still alive, being that this cruel war had already taken away everything else from her, even Toto. He had run away after Dorothy left him behind in Kansas.

Dorothy walked along the train platform with her briefcase in one hand and her suitcase in the other. Dorothy never liked trains. She never felt safe on them. After all, a train was what killed her parents before she even knew them, and it was through the window of a train that Dorothy last saw Josh, for the last time. However, be that as it may, she couldn't walk to Kansas, so she didn't have much choice but to take a train.

She paid for her ticket and waited on a bench for the train to come. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar looking old man. Not thinking much of it, she sat back in her seat and tried to relax. Then, that same old man sat down next to her on the bench. He glanced down at her ticket that was firmly grasped in her hand.

"Going to Kansas huh?" he asked her.

"Yes, my family lives there," Dorothy said. "I'm going there for the holidays,"

"Very nice," the old man smiled. "I'm a Kansas man myself,"

"Really?" Dorothy said, wishing her train would hurry up and get here.

"Yes," he said. "In fact, I once met a little girl there who looked a lot like you,"

Dorothy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She had definitely seen this man before.

"Yes, she was running away from home," the man smiled. "I looked into my 'crystal ball'," he said laughing. "And I told her that her family was worried sick about her, and she went right home,"

"Wait a minute…" Dorothy said. "Are you Professor Marvel?"

"Why yes, I am," the old man said.

"I…I was that little girl!" Dorothy said.

"You're Dorothy?" he said sadly. "Well what are you doing here?"

"I live here in New York," Dorothy said. "What about you?"

"But didn't you always used to say there's no place like home?" he continued, ignoring Dorothy's question.

"Well yes…" Dorothy said. "But that was when I was a child. I've got to make a living now, and my home is New York now,"

"When you _were _a child?" he laughed. "You still are a child!"

Dorothy didn't know what to say. She wasn't a child though, really. She worked for a living and lived on her own.

"Look at you," he said. "You should be out with your friends at the fair back in Kansas, not filing papers in New York,"

"Things have changed Professor Marvel," Dorothy said. "The country is at war, and everyone has to do their part,"

"But you're still so young," he said. "You still had so much promise in you. You used to believe that magic was real,"

Dorothy was dumbfounded, and then she became angry. Who was he to tell her who she used to be? "That was when I was a child, Professor,"

"Dorothy don't you see?" he said sadly. "I'm not just Professor Marvel,"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at me," he said, becoming quite distressed. "Don't you recognize me from anywhere else?"

"Look, I'm very sorry, but I really have to get on my train," Dorothy said, although her train wouldn't arrive for another five minutes. She stood up and tried to get away as fast as possible.

"Wait!" he grabbed her arm and she turned around with her eyes wide. "You really don't recognize me?"

"Let go of me!" she shouted and wrenched her arm out of his grasp. She hurried away from that bench, away from that man, and away from the things he knew about her past. She hurried to the other side of the station and sat down there, not wanting to be anywhere near that man. For all she knew he could have lost his mind. Why was he so insistent that she was still a child, and that she should still be in Kansas?

She sat as still and calmly as she could. Her heart had not stopped beating loud as thunder. There was something about that man…his presence made her feel things that she couldn't remember…she didn't like it, not at all. The things she was feeling stirred up great fear that erupted from a deep dark cavern in the back of her mind, from the very inside of her broken heart, and from a sickening pit in her stomach.

She was grateful when the train came. She boarded and sat down, keeping her eyes away from the windows to avoid seeing that man. The train soon zoomed out of the station, leaving behind the big city and, Dorothy prayed, leaving behind that strange man and the strange feelings he carried with him.


End file.
